My light
by PuffinPixel
Summary: Leon always wanted to see everything in the world with his own eyes before his time was up. The only thing that came in the way of that was his fear of the dark. Leon: HK Eirikur: Iceland Sigurd: Norway (Mentioned)


It wasn't every day Leon got to visit the far north of the world, but every time he did, there was something new. This was his first time being in the northern hemisphere during winter. It was mid day, and the sun was already beginning it's decent from the low point in the sky it managed to reach. So strange.  
Being from Hong Kong, he was used to the sun rising early and setting in the evening, making everything dark. He had been in Iceland for a visit in the summertime as well, and the amount of light shocked him so much he stayed up with he sun to watch it all, while a sleepy Eirikur groaned and pulled the covers over himself. Leon smiled at the memory fondly.  
It was the polar opposite now though.  
Darkness was about to cover the entire north for the most of the day. Eirikur had once told him he got around 3 hours of sunlight and 1 hour of dimming light before everything became dark.  
Leon had never experienced anything like that before. Even if he was scared of the dark, there was something that told him to stay. To see this with his own eyes. He had been on this planet for a long time, but he couldn't bear to think of leaving it before he saw everything himself.  
A book wasn't good enough, a picture or a video wasn't either.  
There was something inside him that stirred when he was offered to go to a new place, and his heart wouldn't let him leave before he saw as much as possible.

Now was one of those times. As Eirikur made some food for the two of them, Leon stepped outside in the heavy snow, covered with Eirikur's spare sweaters and jacket. Eirikur had said they were his brother's clothes. That he always left a spare something in his house, and he didn't mind if anyone were to use it. It's what it was there for.  
Leon liked this. It seemed to be some old custom of theirs, that only they shared. The Nordics all seemed so clean and neat. Even Denmark. But still, they didn't care if their warm clothes got torn or ragged. They still used and shared. It reminded him of childhood, in a way.  
As he stood there, in Sigurd's old clothes, he watched with dread. The dimming hour was upon them, and the world fell into darkness before his eyes. Though strangely, everything had this blue sheen. He guessed this is due to the cold, but wasn't so sure.  
He could feel it happening. The fear was there, staring him in the eyes. Daring him to stay longer.  
He wasn't sure what to do. It was like all reason and logic had left him. Thankfully, Eirikur was tired of waiting for him and had opened the door. Light filled the small snowy garden, and an annoyed Icelander stood in the doorway, tapping his foot.  
"Well? Are you coming in or do you want to die in the storm that is on it's way here?" he bit out. Leon managed to win back his courage and turned to the house and hurriedly made his way back to the light. To safety. It wasn't the storm he feared, for he could survive that.

Inside, he was greeted by the lovely smell of home cooked food. Fish, he would have guessed, but Eirikur surprised him with lamb. He rarely ate lamb, so this would be a treat!  
As he sat down, he felt his heart warm up again, the clutching claws of fear had left him alone.  
"Why were you even outside? You could have watched from inside. I only need to turn off the lights for you to see properly" Eirikur mumbled over the wine glass. He had chosen a red wine he got from Francis many years ago. Somehow it made everything seem romantic, but Leon doubted the Icelander felt that way.  
"Wouldn't have been through my eyes" he responded.  
A glass could also act like a mirror, depending on the lighting inside or outside. And Leon had to see it with **his** eyes, not a reflection of someone else's.

"You Asians and your philosophy" came the halfhearted answer. Eirikur really shouldn't have been one to talk, being interested in such things himself, but Leon found his denial complimenting to his friend's nature. He really was like his brother, the way Leon had been like his older brother.  
Ah, thinking about the past made him look sad, he had noticed his friend's slightly concerned look. The past was nothing to stare at, only look, his older brother had told him once. He decided enough was enough. Even with the fear close by, he would have a good time tonight.  
After dinner, the two decided to watch a movie or four, eating some candy and chips. Eirikur's pet, , had gotten a bowl of licorice for himself, so he wouldn't bother the two. Leon brought a Jackie Chan movie that the two were currently watching, volume booming over the blizzard. It was when the two were deep into the movie that everything suddenly went dark. The Hong konger could feel the claws of fear come back, slowly creeping up his back.  
"Damn, stupid storm" Eirikur cursed and stood up.  
"W-where are you going?" Leon stuttered, already feeling his body shake.  
"To the back up generator. I'll be back soon, okay?" the Icelander trotted off, not scared in the slightest. Soon Leon could hear the door open and slam shut from the force of the winds outside. He hoped his friend was alright out there. It was too dark to see anything, and the sounds were not helping the horrible paranoia that crept up on him. He moved over to a corner and made himself as small as possible, covering his ears and shutting his eyes tightly.  
The mantra of "it's over soon" started up when he felt the claws touch his chest.  
"Ice will get the power on soon" he told himself, trying desperately to calm down. "You'll see. When you open your eyes again, it will be safe"  
Nothing he told himself would help him, he knew this. But that didn't mean he would stop trying. One day, he would make it. But until then, he had to keep trying. No one else could do it for him, and that made it harder. But one day...  
There was a sound, followed by another, penetrating his hands and reaching his ears. What if Eirikur didn't come back?  
The claws reached out towards him.  
What if Eirikur had been hurt? Or led astray?  
Grotesque black hands touched his chest, moving inside it.  
What if he was alone now? Until winter was over? All alone in the dark...  
Something closed around his heart, engulfing him in fear. Terrified, he sat completely still, thoughts racing. It's here... It's come for me again. I lost the race.  
He decided on one last thing before his mind were to be lost to the void. He would look it in the eyes as it took him. He would see this too, with his own eyes. The eyes of death, shadows and fear.

Leon looked up, startled by the feeling of someone touching him. His light brown eyes connected with light purple, and suddenly, he felt more at ease. Light. It was back.  
"Are you okay? You were trashing around" Eirikur asked, a worried frown on his face.

"The generator is broken, and the next neighbor is too far away. We can't even see the lights of their farm from here. I got some firewood from the basement though. Will you be alright alone while I light it?" he carefully inquired. Leon didn't notice before, but the house was indeed completely dark. How was it that he felt so safe then? Was it because of his friend's light features? They reminded him of safety. Realizing he was asked a question, he slowly nodded and tried to brace himself for the fear once more. He shut his eyes, but let his ears hear the Icelander shuffle about in the dark to find his matches. He sounds were different, now that he thought about it. Footsteps sounded muffled. Had he been moved?  
There was a sound of a match being lit, and the careful crack of the first wood to start burning. Followed by the sound of something metal being set in place.  
He guessed this as the iron between the open flames and everything else in the house.  
A presence near him.  
"I got the fire going... you can open your eyes" the quiet voice told him gently. Leon opened his eyes, and everything he saw had a warm hue. The fire was lit, the warmth spreading and the cracks of burning wood could be heard.  
He looked around, and found that Eirikur had lit the candles as well. The room was lit entirely by living light.  
Something about that made it feel special. So many living things in the nothingness and cold outside, where the fear waited and danced with the harsh winds.  
He dared glance over at his friend again, and decided that he was safety to him. He was life, and he was light.

"Hey... wake up"  
Leon could feel himself being shaken out of sleep. When did he fall asleep exactly? And when did he cuddle close to Eirikur in a blanket in front of the fireplace? A quick look around confirmed his suspicions. He candles were out, having burnt to their limit. The fireplace housed glowing ember instead of a roaring, strong flame like it had earlier. It was still so very dark, and a pang of fear managed to pierce his heart once more.  
He could feel his hands seek out his light again, and they closed around Eirikur's shirt.  
The Icelander could only sigh.

"Hey... I want to show you something. The storm died down a few minutes ago" he whispered. Leon decided he would do this. But only because it was Eirikur who asked him. He nodded and stood up with his friend, still holding him close under the blanket. When Eirikur led him to the door, his feet stopped.

"I don't want to go out there..." his voice barely sounded in the quiet house. He had never experienced anything more quiet than this. It felt wrong. Like he was in limbo, and about to cross over for real.  
"Trust me" he other whispered back. "Please. I promise you it will be worth it. If we don't hurry, it will be gone"  
Curiosity won over fear and pushed him forward to dress in the warm boots and jacket. Eirikur led him straight into the night, though the heavy snow with no light to guide him. Leon would be lying if he said he had complete confidence in him at that point. Suddenly they stopped, and Leon settled to clutch the Icelander's jacket tightly and stay as close as possible.  
"Look up" was all he said.  
His head moved on his own, and he saw stars. So many stars he never saw before. The skies looked so different. If Leon used his own words at that moment, he would ask how Eirikur mad opened a window to the universe, but he quickly realized this is what the night sky always looked like. The moon shone brightly in the sky, lighting up everything around him.  
"See? There is light, no matter how the dark the sky gets"  
Leon turned to look his friend in the eyes, but the other only shook his head.

"If you don't look up again soon, you will miss it. It normally doesn't last that long, so be prepared"

Lights danced across the sky. Brilliant greens, purples and icy blues. Along with the stars, it made a ballroom of lights. He had never seen these in person before, only heard stories. Aurora Borealis. It was more beautiful than he had ever imagined it to be. The stories didn't do them justice at all. Neither did the pictures. The way they danced, made the night it's stage... Something about it was truly unique.  
It only lasted a few minutes, like Eirikur had said they would, but the night didn't feel as dark after their departure. Leon felt like the moon and the stars, the window to the universe opened for him, telling him that there would never be nothingness, never a void. Never an abyss. The thought made his heart feel strong again. Warm.  
As his friend hugged him, he heard a faint whisper.  
"You are never alone. Not if I can help it"  
And he realized he didn't need any special lights, or fancy displays anymore.  
_My light was here with me all along._


End file.
